Smoking pipe cleaning tool

ABSTRACT

Presented is a cleaning tool and method for cleaning interior surface of smoking pipes including tobacco pipes or water pipes. The cleaning tool comprises a shank and a tool body. The tool body comprises a helical portion and a tip portion. The cleaning of smoking pipe by a cleaning tool involves movement of the cleaning tool relative to the smoking pipe. The cleaning tool as well as method enables easy and safe cleaning of the interior surface of the smoking pipe.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to smoking pipes and moreparticularly, it pertains to a tool and method for cleaning interiorsurface of smoking pipes including tobacco pipes or water pipes.

BACKGROUND

Smoking is an act or practice in which a substance i.e. tobacco isburned and the resulting smoke is inhaled by a user. Various smokingdevices such as tobacco pipes, hookahs, bongs, water pipes and so on areused by smokers and the substance used for smoking can include but notlimited to: tobacco, marijuana, cannabis and so on.

Generally after prolonged use, residue such as carbon lining builds upwithin smoking water pipes. The residue may damage the smoking pipe andfurther, it badly affects the smoking experience. Thus, cleaning ofsmoking pipes is required from time to time to ensure quality of thesmoking.

Various methods and techniques are employed in existing market to cleanthe water pipes. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,284,056B1 discloses acomposition useful for removal of organic deposits from a ceramic,glass, plastic, or metal substrate, and a method of use thereof. In apreferred embodiment, the invention pertains to a composition forcleaning an organically fouled smoking apparatus such as a pipe, acigarette holder, or a water pipe, and to a process whereby the smokingapparatus is cleaned and disinfected.

The existing methods and techniques can include cleaningchemicals/solvents which can clean interior and/or exterior of waterpipes. However, cleaning chemicals/solvents are sometimes inefficient incleaning all residue and further, these cleaning chemicals/solventsincreases overall cost of smoking. Further, if a small quantity ofcleaning chemicals/solvents is consumed during smoking, it could lead tounpleasant smoking experience and could also be hazardous depending onchemical composition of the cleaning chemicals/solvents. Thus, there isa need for a smoking pipe cleaning tool that efficiently and effectivelycleans the residue that builds up within the interior surfaces of asmoking pipe.

BRIEF SUMMARY

Before the present systems and methods, enablement are described, it isto be understood that this application is not limited to the particularsystems, and methodologies described, as there can be multiple possibleembodiments which are not expressly illustrated in the presentdisclosures. It is also to be understood that the terminology used inthe description is for the purpose of describing the particular versionsor embodiments only, and is not intended to limit the scope of thepresent application.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a smoking pipecleaning tool capable of efficiently cleaning interior of smoking pipes.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a smoking pipecleaning tool which is formed as a unitary (one-piece) construction.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a smoking pipecleaning tool that is easy to use and could be easily washed by using asuitable liquid.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a smoking pipecleaning tool that is manually used by a user.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a smoking pipecleaning method which requires longitudinal motion and/or rotationalmotion of the smoking pipe cleaning tool to effectively and efficientlyclean the smoking pipe.

Embodiments of the present invention disclose a cleaning tool forcleaning the interior surface of the smoking pipe of a smoking device,the cleaning tool comprising a shank configured to be grasped by theuser with their hands while performing cleaning of the smoking pipe.Further, the cleaning tool comprises a tool body comprising a helicalportion and a tip portion. The helical portion is arranged atleastpartially on the outer surface area of the tool body and the helicalportion comprises screw threads for facilitating removal of residuebuilds up within smoking pipe during cleaning. The cleaning of smokingpipe by a cleaning tool involves movement of the cleaning tool relativeto the smoking pipe. The cleaning tool as well as method enables easyand safe cleaning of the interior surface of the smoking pipe.

In an embodiment, the movement of the cleaning tool relative to thesmoking pipe includes: longitudinal movement, rotational movement and/orcombinations thereof.

In another embodiment, the cleaning of smoking pipe by a cleaning toolincludes washing the cleaning tool by a liquid such as soap solution,detergent, water etc.

In another embodiment, the helix angle of the helical portion liesbetween 5 degrees to 85 degrees.

In another embodiment, the tool body comprises a tip portion and a tipextension to enable poking of any clogged hole in the smoking pipe.

Various objects, features, aspects and advantages of the presentinvention will become more apparent from the following detaileddescription of the embodiments of the invention, along with theaccompanying drawings in which like numerals represent like components.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional smoking device comprising a smokingpipe;

FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of a cleaning tool, according toan embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 3A-3D illustrates various side views of the cleaning tool of FIG.2, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3E and FIG. 3F illustrates top view and bottom view of the cleaningtool of FIG. 2 respectively, according to an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective view of the cleaning tool of FIG. 2being used to clean the smoking pipe;

FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view of a cleaning tool, according toanother embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 6A-6D illustrates various side views of the cleaning tool of FIG.5, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6E and FIG. 6F illustrates top view and bottom view of the cleaningtool of FIG. 5 respectively, according to an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 7 illustrates a perspective view of the cleaning tool of FIG. 5being used to clean the smoking pipe;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Some embodiments, illustrating its features, will now be discussed indetail. The words “comprising,” “having,” “containing,” and “including,”and other forms thereof, are intended to be equivalent in meaning and beopen ended in that an item or items following any one of these words isnot meant to be an exhaustive listing of such item or items, or meant tobe limited to only the listed item or items. It must also be noted thatas used herein and in the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,”and “the” include plural references unless the context clearly dictatesotherwise. Although any methods, and systems similar or equivalent tothose described herein can be used in the practice or testing ofembodiments, the preferred methods, and systems are now described. Thedisclosed embodiments are merely exemplary.

Referring to accompanying figures, especially FIG. 1, a conventionalsmoking device 100 is shown enabling a user to smoke various substances.The substances capable of being smoked by the user could include but notlimited to: marijuana, tobacco, cannabis and so on. As shown in FIG. 1,the conventional smoking device 100 is a bong i.e. water pipecommercially available in the existing market. Further, the conventionalsmoking device 100 could include other smoking devices (not shown infigures) including but not limited to: hookahs, e-cigarettes, tobaccopipes, vapes and so on. The conventional smoking device 100 includes atleast one smoking pipe 110 as shown in FIG. 1 to be cleaned afterprolonged use by a cleaning tool 130 which will be described in greaterdetail in the below description. Further, the conventional smokingdevice 100 could include a second type of smoking pipe 210 commerciallyavailable in the market as shown in FIG. 7.

The various features and embodiments of proposed cleaning tool andcleaning method will now be described in conjunction with theaccompanying figures, namely FIGS. 2-7.

FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment of the cleaning tool 130 to effectivelyclean the smoking pipe 110 (seen in FIG. 1 and FIG. 4). As shown in FIG.2, the cleaning tool 130 comprises a shank 132 and a tool body 134. Theshank 132 is configured to be grasped by the user with their hands whileperforming cleaning operation of the smoking pipe 110. The shank 132could be made of a material which supports grasping by hands of the userand the material could include but not limited to: rubber, silicone,plastic, metal and so on. The tool body 134 comprises a helical portion135 arranged at least partially on the outer surface area of the toolbody 134. The helical portion 135 comprises screw threads whichfacilitates removal of residue builds up within smoking pipe 110 duringcleaning operation which will be described in greater detail in thedescription to follow. The helix angle of the helical portion 135 canvary from 5 degrees to 85 degrees, in particular 20 degrees to 70degrees. Tool body 134 comprises a tip portion 136. In an embodiment,the tip portion 136 is substantially hemispherical-shaped with chamferededges. In an embodiment, the tip portion 136 facilitates removal ofresidue builds up within smoking pipe 110 by breaking large deposits ofresidue in smaller deposits/parts. The overall shape of the cleaningtool 130 is substantially cylindrical in nature. The overall length anddiameter of the cleaning tool 130 could vary depending on the dimensionsof the smoking pipe 110. In an embodiment, the overall length of thecleaning tool 130 is about 12 centimeters. Further, the material of thecleaning tool 130 could include but not limited to: plastics, metal,composites, wood and so on.

FIGS. 3A-3D illustrates various side views of the cleaning tool 130 ofFIG. 2, according to an embodiment of the present invention. Thecleaning tool 130 has a substantially elongate shape and a substantiallyuniform cross section as seen in FIGS. 3A-3D.

FIG. 3E and FIG. 3F illustrates top view and bottom view of the cleaningtool of FIG. 2 respectively, according to an embodiment of the presentinvention. The cleaning tool 130 has a substantially circular crosssection as seen in FIG. 3E and FIG. 3F.

Cleaning method involving the cleaning tool 130 will now be described.As shown in FIG. 4, the cleaning tool 130 is engaged against the smokingpipe 110 such that the helical portion 135 contacts the interior of thesmoking pipe 110. Afterwards, the cleaning tool 130 is rotated in adirection so as to disengage the cleaning tool 130 from the smoking pipe110 such that any residue build-up inside the smoking pipe 110 iscarried away by the helical portion 135 and thus, the residue buildupinside the smoking pipe 110 is expelled outwards from the smoking pipe110. Afterwards, the cleaning tool 130 could be cleaned for enablingrepeated use by any conventional technique such as liquid washing, airblowing, shaking, and napkin/cloth cleaning and so on so as to removeresidue from the cleaning tool 130.

In another embodiment, the longitudinal motion and/or rotational motionof the cleaning tool 130 relative to the smoking pipe 110 is utilized toeffectively and efficiently clean the smoking pipe 110.

FIG. 5 illustrates another embodiment of the cleaning tool 230 toeffectively clean the second type of smoking pipe 210 (as shown in FIG.7). As shown in FIG. 5, the cleaning tool 230 comprises a shank 232 anda tool body 234. The shank 232 is configured to be grasped by the userwith their hands while performing cleaning of the smoking pipe 210. Theshank 132 could be made of a material which supports grasping by handsof the user and the material could include but not limited to: rubber,silicone and so on. The tool body 234 comprises a helical portion 235arranged at least partially on the outer surface area of the tool body234. The helical portion 235 comprises screw threads which facilitatesremoval of residue builds up within smoking pipe 210 during cleaningoperation which will be described in greater detail in belowdescription. The helix angle of the helical portion 235 can vary from 5degrees to 85 degrees, in particular 20 degrees to 70 degrees. Further,the tool body 234 comprises a tip portion 236 and a tip extension 238.In an embodiment, the tip portion 236 is substantially cone-shaped withchamfered edges. The overall shape of the cleaning tool 230 issubstantially cylindrical and non uniform. As seen in FIG. 5, the shank232 has the diameter D1, helical portion 235 has the diameter D2 and thetip extension 238 has the diameter D3 wherein D1>D2>D3. In anembodiment, the overall length of the cleaning tool 230 is about 12centimeters. Further, the material of the cleaning tool 230 couldinclude but not limited to: plastic, metal, composites, wood and so on.

FIGS. 6A-6D illustrates various side views of the cleaning tool of FIG.5, according to an embodiment of the present invention. The cleaningtool 130 has a substantially elongate shape and a non uniform crosssection as seen in FIGS. 6A-6D.

FIG. 6E and FIG. 6F illustrates top view and bottom view of the cleaningtool of FIG. 5 respectively, according to an embodiment of the presentinvention. The cleaning tool 130 has a substantially circular crosssection as seen in FIG. 6E and FIG. 6F. As seen in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6F,the shank 232 has the diameter D1, helical portion 235 has the diameterD2 and the tip extension 238 has the diameter D3 wherein D1>D2>D3.

Cleaning method involving the cleaning tool 230 will now be described.As shown in FIG. 7, the cleaning tool 230 is engaged against the smokingpipe 210 such that the helical portion 235 contacts the interior of thesmoking pipe 210. Further, as the cleaning tool 230 is engaged againstthe smoking pipe 210, the tip portion 236 and the tip extension 238 arepushed towards the smoking pipe 210 to poke/clear any residuefilled/clogged holes in the smoking pipe 210. Afterwards, the cleaningtool 230 is rotated in a direction so as to disengage the cleaning tool230 from the smoking pipe 210 such that any residue buildup inside thesmoking pipe 210 is carried away by the helical portion 235 and thus,the residue buildup inside the smoking pipe 210 is expelled outwardsfrom the smoking pipe 210. Afterwards, the cleaning tool 230 could becleaned for enabling repeated use by any conventional technique such asliquid washing, air blowing, shaking, and napkin/cloth cleaning and soon so as to remove residue from the cleaning tool 230.

In another embodiment, the longitudinal motion and/or rotational motionof the cleaning tool 230 relative to the smoking pipe 210 is utilized toeffectively and efficiently clean the smoking pipe 210.

It should be understood that cleaning tool 130, 230 may be constructedusing any conventional manufacturing processes such as but not limitedto molding, machining, casting, 3D printing and so on. Further, thecleaning tool 130, 230 could be made as a unitary piece construction(one piece) to reduce manufacturing time and save costs. However, thecleaning tool 130, 230 could also be formed as a multi-piece component.The cleaning of the smoking pipe 110, 210 could be performed usingcleaning tool 130, 230 while the smoking pipe 110, 210 is stillconnected to the smoking device 100. Further, it should be obvious toone skilled in the art that cleaning of the smoking pipe 110, 210 couldbe performed using cleaning tool (130, 230) while the smoking pipe 110,210 is detached from the smoking device 100 for better cleaningoperation. Further, it should also be understood that the smoking device100 and the smoking pipe 110, 210 are interchangeable and variousembodiments of the present invention could also be considered forsmoking pipe 110, 210 alone. For instance, in an embodiment, the smokingpipe 110, 210 could include tobacco pipe and the tobacco pipe itself canbe considered as a smoking device 100.

According to various embodiments of the present invention, the movementof the cleaning tool 130, 230 is manually enabled by a user whileholding the shank 132, 232 of the cleaning tool 130, 230 using his/herhands. However, it should be understood that the movement of thecleaning tool 130, 230 could be enabled automatically usingmachines/machine platforms/robotic manipulators which wouldcarry/transport the cleaning tool 130, 230 of the present invention fordesired movement. The movement of cleaning tool 130, 230 using machineswould allow automation of the smoking pipe cleaning.

It should be understood according to the preceding description of thepresent invention that the same is susceptible to changes, modificationsand adaptations, and that the said changes, modifications andadaptations fall within scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A cleaning tool (130) for cleaning the interiorsurface of a smoking pipe (110), the cleaning tool (130) comprising: ashank (132) configured to be grasped by the user with their hands whileperforming cleaning of the smoking pipe (110); a tool body (134)comprising a helical portion (135) and a tip portion (136); Wherein thehelical portion (135) is arranged at least partially on the outersurface area of the tool body (134); and the helical portion (135)comprises screw threads for facilitating removal of residue build upwithin smoking pipe (110) during cleaning; and Wherein cleaning of thesmoking pipe (110) by the cleaning tool (130) involves movement of thecleaning tool (130) relative to the smoking pipe (110).
 2. The cleaningtool (130) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the movement of the cleaningtool (130) relative to the smoking pipe (110) comprises rotationalmovement.
 3. The cleaning tool (130) as claimed in claim 1, wherein themovement of the cleaning tool (130) relative to the smoking pipe (110)includes: longitudinal movement, rotational movement and/or combinationsthereof.
 4. The cleaning tool (130) as claimed in claim 1, wherein thecleaning of the smoking pipe (110) by the cleaning tool (130) includeswashing the cleaning tool (130) by a liquid.
 5. The cleaning tool (130)as claimed in claim 1, wherein an helix angle of the helical portion(135) lies between 5 degrees to 85 degrees.
 6. The cleaning tool (130)as claimed in claim 1, wherein, the overall length of the cleaning tool(130) is about 12 centimeters.
 7. A cleaning tool (230) for cleaning theinterior surface of a smoking pipe (210), the cleaning tool (230)comprising: a shank (232) configured to be grasped by the user withtheir hands while performing cleaning of the smoking pipe (210); a toolbody (234) comprising a helical portion (235), a tip portion (236) and atip extension (238); Wherein the helical portion (235) is arrangedatleast partially on the outer surface area of the tool body (234); andthe helical portion (235) comprises screw threads for facilitatingremoval of residue builds up within smoking pipe (210) during cleaning;Wherein the tip extension (238) is configured to poke any residuefilled/clogged holes in the smoking pipe (210); Wherein cleaning of thesmoking pipe (210) by the cleaning tool (230) involves movement of thecleaning tool (230) relative to the smoking pipe (210);
 8. The cleaningtool (230) as claimed in claim 7, wherein the movement of the cleaningtool (230) relative to the smoking pipe (210) comprises rotationalmovement.
 9. The cleaning tool (230) as claimed in claim 7, wherein themovement of the cleaning tool (230) relative to the smoking pipe (210)includes: longitudinal movement, rotational movement and/or combinationsthereof.
 10. The cleaning tool (230) as claimed in claim 7, wherein thecleaning of smoking pipe (210) by a cleaning tool (230) includes washingthe cleaning tool (230) by a liquid.
 11. The cleaning tool (230) asclaimed in claim 7, wherein an helix angle of the helical portion (235)lies between 5 degrees to 85 degrees.
 12. The cleaning tool (230) asclaimed in claim 7, wherein the shank (232) has the diameter D1, helicalportion (235) has the diameter D2 and the tip extension (238) has thediameter D3 wherein D1>D2>D3.
 13. The cleaning tool (230) as claimed inclaim 7, wherein, the overall length of the cleaning tool (230) is about12 centimeters.